Two Stupid Children (Foolishness)

Long ago, there was an old carpenter with a shiny, bald head. On sunny days, his bald pate shined so brightly that people shaded their eyes when talking to him !

On one particularly sunny day, a hungry mosquito was attached to the old carpenter's bright shiny pate. He landed on his head and started biting.

The carpenter was busy smoothing a piece of wood with a plane, when he felt the mosquito bite. He tried to chase it away. But the hungry mosquito would not leave. So the man called his son over and asked him to get rid of the stubborn pest.

The son was not a bright boy. But he was hardworking and obedient. "Don't worry Dad, be patient. I'll kill that bug with just one blow !" he said.

The son picked up a very sharp axe. He took careful aim at the mosquito. Without thinking twice, he came down with the axe and split the mosquito into two ! Unfortunately, after slicing through the mosquito, the axe also spilt the carpenter's shiny bald head into two.

Meanwhile, an adviser to the king happened to be passing by with his fellowers. They saw what had happened, and were stunned that anyone could be so stupid !

"Do not be surprised by human stupidity ! This reminds me of a similar event that occurred just yesterday," said the king's adviser.

In a village not far from here a woman was cleaning rice. She was pounding it in a mortar with a pestle to separate the husks. As she was perspiring, a swarm of flies began buzzing around her head. She tried to chase them away, but the flies would not leave.

She called her daughter over and asked her to shoo away the bothersome insects. Although she was a rather foolish girl, the daughter always tried her best to please her mother.

So she stood up from her own mortar, raised her pestle, and took careful aim at the biggest and boldest of the flies. Without thinking, she pounded the fly to death! But of course, th same blow that killed the fly, also ended her mother's life.

"You all know what they say," said the adviser, finishing his story, "With friends like these, who needs enemies !"

The moral is >>> A wise enemy is less dangerus than a foolish friend.